Painting up your home, car, or even floor is never an easy task at hand. It always takes time to complete the painting procedure. That’s mainly because a lot of steps are involved in painting. It comes from preparing the wall, putting up the first coat, applying the second coat, and curing time.
Painting your walls or garage could be tricky because it takes different times to cure depending on the moisture and humidity levels on your surroundings. Any professional should know where they are getting the job done and how much time it should take.
Any professional painter would have to follow up several steps to complete a project. If you are willing to get work done on your home, this guide lets you know how long to let paint dry between coats.
1. Dry Time
The Dry Time refers to the amount of time that your paint needs to dry up. It is the first step of painting that you need to know about. Once you apply the first coat of paint, you need to be aware of the second coat.
Until the first coat of paint dried up, you won’t be able to recoat it gain. The drying time completely depends on the nature of the paint you will use and the painting style.
2. Recoat Time
Recoat time refers to the time that you need to apply the second coat of paint. Often one coat of paint is not enough. Applying a second coat becomes important.
In most cases, the recoating will only take a couple of days to complete, and most of this time is actually waiting for the finish to dry.
3. Cure Time
The Cure Time of a wall is the most important component that you need to think about. The Cure Time basically refers to preparing the wall. Often due to humidity and moisture contents on the walls, there could be a number of cracks here and there.
To fill this gap, most people apply primer and putty and make the surface even. Ofcourse, this will take another few hours to dry up the wall. This is the cure time of the wall.
All the time that is taken in the above things will help us to determine how long to paint a room will take.
Recoat Time For Water-Based Paint
- Acrylics have the ability to cling to several different surfaces by blending in additives.
- Not exclusively can they be utilized for canvas paintings, but they can also be utilized to paint stoneware and glass. They are dishwasher safe but utilized for decorative pieces as it were.
- Acrylics can also be utilized for painting fabrics and home and garden projects.
- Acrylic Paints take around 48 hours to totally dry.
Recoat Time For Oil-Based Paint
The time taken for oil based paint is relatively much more than any other type of paint that is available. To understand this, you will have to first understand on how the oil paint is made up of.
This particular type of paint is made up of drying oil extracts which is very rich and also much dense in nature. As a result, the time taken for the oil to dry up it much more. When it comes to walls or a canvas, oil is reactive to moisture. If humidity is more, the time taken for oil to dry p will be more. As a result, it takes around two weeks of time to completely dry up. It should be kept safe for sage.
Temperature And Humidity Factors
- The base air temperature for oil-based paints is somewhat cooler than for latex. You can pull off 40 degrees F and above for oil-based paint. If the temperature is lower than that, the improper restoration will happen.
- The base substrate temperature (like latex) for oil-based paints is also 40 degrees F. Much the same as air temperature. You will experience moderate drying and improper restoration if your paint surface is lower than 40 degrees.
Technique For The Second Coat
- While preparing the second coat, you need to first think about the application status of the first coat. Check if the first coat is completely dry or not.
- If the first coat is completely dried up, you will be able to make sure that the wall is prepared to coat again. You can now take out the paint again.
- Apply similar strokes of brushes on the wall just like you did for the first time. Make sure that you complete every part equally before getting over. If there is any part that you missed out, apply a bit of light to check again.
- For the best results, try to apply atleast two coats of paints after the first coat. You can always coat more times according to the shade of the color or if you want a darker theme.
Key Tips To Keep In Mind Before Painting
- Never paint your home out of the paint can itself. While you go about painting, the brushes or rollers get residue and soil, which may achieve the surface’s debasements. The paint would also evaporate throughout time.
- If the paint can is open for an extensive stretch of time, it would react to the air where it is being uncovered. The paint then would become sticker and thicker. Recall that the air could evaporate the paint.
- The paint can be utilized to store the paint in and never be carried around the area.
- Just use at least half an inch of the paint into the can you are to use for painting. If the container is accidentally spilled, you would have to clean a major wreck and then lose its lot.
- Always set back the limit for the paint can top as you are done with spilling it out.
7 Factors That Affect Drying Times
1. First Coat Time
The thickness of the coat and also the application of the paint will directly affect on how long this procedure takes. If this is the first coat of paint that you are intercepting with, the dry time will depend on the paint roller and also the application process which you need to consider. However, the initial drying time will take around 30 to 90 minutes initially.
The paint drying time will depend on the type of paint and the process that you use to provide a good result.
2. Second Coat
Once the first coat is done to dry, it is now the time to apply the second coat. This can be done typically after four to six hours and can also be considered as a great option. The rule of thumb is to wait for atleast three to four hours to get the best results. A good rule of thumb is to look for four to six hours depending on the moisture that is formed and also the type of paint. If this is oil based paint, the time taken might be slightly higher.
3. Curing Time
The curing time is another aspect when it comes to the time taken. The curing time relates to the time taken by the paint to harden completely. This will help in resisting scraping while it is curing. This does not happen in hours, but might take up several days to get complete. You can keep in mind that the curling time could be slightly better.
4. High Humidity
One of the major concerns that take a lot of time in drying up the paint! Humidity plays a direct role in the time taken to dry up the paint. A humid room will technically take much longer time to dry up. Thus, it is much better when it comes to a room with lesser humidity while providing a faster dry time.
5. Temperature
Another important factor getting directly involved in the dry times is the temperature. It can be easily said that a higher temperature will help you in getting a great result. A moderate temperature between 50 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit will help you in getting the right results.
6. Ventilation
The chemical composition of certain paints might not only increase the drying period, but it will also affect the performance also make it properly dry out. The ventilation is important for the paint to dry because it helps in getting the top coat dried in a few days.
7. Starting Surface
Another important aspect of the paint dry time is the starting surface of the wall or the ceiling. If you are painting on a raw wood, it will take more time. However, it is important that you need to consider. You need to make sure that you get a good oil-based paint to get right result.
How Long To Let Paint Dry Between Coats? [Conclusion]
Curing time and drying time between coats of paint depends on the type of material you are using and the surface you are preparing. Remember one thing that never rushes up to complete the painting job first hand.
Always tend to go slow to avoid any type of air bubbles forming on the wall. Before you start painting, have a look at the damp and moisture content on the walls.
This was the last tip for this article on how long to let paint dry between coats. Let us know how long did you wait between paint coats, in the comments below.
Travis is a painter by profession. His valuable painting tips help customers know how to do painting hassle-free. He is an expert in handling painting tools and loves sharing his experiences with customers. Travis has been in the painting business for the past 20 years. He is now on the verge of early retirement, passing on the secrets.